Four Illinois Coal Plants to Close

Vistra Energy is closing four coal plants in Illinois. "The four include the Duck Creek Power Plant in Canton, Havana Power Plant, Hennepin Power Plant and the Coffeen Power Plant," NBC’s Week.com reports. The company cited the Multi-Pollutant Standard rule as the reason it decided to close the four plants. Vistra employs roughly 300 people total, with between 60 and 90 workers at each coal plant. Curt Morgan, Vistra’s CEO, called the closures "inevitable… but nonetheless difficult to make."

Natural Resources Defense Council argues in a post from J.C. Kibbey that the state of Illinois needs a Clean energy jobs act, to help communities facing these closures create new jobs. Kibbey points out that, even as companies like Vistra remain profitable, coal plants are going to continue to close around the country as the costs of renewables falls. Kibbey argues that Illinois needs to act so it can tackle this issue, for the sake of its workers and the environment.